Customer Reviews

The Choir Boats (Longing for Yount)

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Such a beautiful treasure! Longing for Young has a portal. That, along with really good writing and illustrations you can't stop looking at, is exactly what I want. Check it out. It's a really really nice, intelligent book with wondrous images. And it's scientific and romantic and haunting. And there's more to come!!!!!! You'll be happy about that.

Nice little stocking stuffer, also.

The following review was written by Terence Craig:

I would have loved this book simply as a great historical fantasy but two things really enhanced the book for me:

As an African American I really appreciated the nuanced way the book dealt with the impacts of race and colonialism.

As someone who was raised in Nigeria (an ex-Brit colony), I really appreciated the nuanced way the author captured that unique combination of arrogance, toughness, brutality and idealism that defined the British colonial culture.

My entire family including my 80+ year old father and my 17 year old niece can't wait for the next volume in the series.

Bravo Mr. Rabuzzi, Bravo!

Guilt is a hard thing to kill. "The Choir Boats: Volume One of Longing for Yount" is the story of one Barbabas McDoon, a merchant with a heavy soul. When forgiveness knocks on his door, he leaps to take it, but forgiveness has come in the farm of an emissary from the world of Yount. He must go to Yount, use the key given to him to open the prison. But the task, of course, sounds much easier said than done as there are those who want the prison to remain closed. "The Choir Boats" is fun fantasy that blends many elements into a read that is endlessly entertaining.

This book is a wonderful option for any fantasy lover, especially in these days when vampire fiction clogs the bookstore shelves. The Choir Boats has a good blend of action, mystery, and drama, and even though it gets a little too detailed with some of the technical aspects, it keeps the reader interested with new dangers on nearly every page. Can't wait for the next installment.

I loved The Choir Boats ( Longing for Yount). It is a good old-fashioned yarn that draws you in and keeps you fascinated. It is the story of a good-hearted but also flawed extended family who go on the adventure of their lives. It is a fantasy with magical things happening, but based in very real characters. Dan Rabuzzi's imagery and choice of words are vivid and amazing. Be warned that some words he uses are completely made up, but as one character says in the story "if it isn't a word, it should be!". The apparent villain ( don't want to give anything away), the Cretched Man is a vivid and horrifying and pitiful character who will stick in your memory long after you finish the book. I can't wait for the next volume.

In an age dominated by mass-market fiction, writing of this caliber rarely makes it into print, which makes The Choir Boats an especially delightful discovery. I've never really been a fan of the fantasy genre (Lord of the Rings excepted), but The Choir Boats may bring me around. Dickensian in its colorful characters, in its wit and charm, this book is a feast for any reader who enjoys first-rate writing, whatever the genre. The novel is grandly symbolic (good versus evil) without falling into pedantry or ever allowing its deeper significance to spoil a good tale. And if you enjoy a treasure chest of historical and literary allusions, The Choir Boats is definitely for you. Erudite, sophisticated, restrained...Rabuzzi is an exciting new talent. I look forward to the rest of the series.

This unusual book takes us from accurate portrayal of 19th century London to fantasy worlds. It will appeal to any lover of historical fiction along with those attracted by imaginative creation.

With a mixture of epic fantasy and steampunk, this story is unique and enjoyable. There are prophecies, quests, adventures, along with magic that is run by mathematical equations and science. This is exactly the sort of story I love. The world Rabuzzi creates in The Choir Boats is fascinating. I love Yount, its customs, and its history. My only complaint is that I didn't see enough of this new world.

There are definitely a lot of twists and turns throughout this story, which I greatly enjoyed. The lines are blurred between who is "good" and who is "bad," which always makes for a fun read. There are references to quite a few literary works, which amused me. (For example, at one point, it is mentioned a Miss Bennett is staying with her Uncle Gardiner.) There is also a lot of history, folklore, and descriptions of different countries. Rabuzzi really tries to pack everything in, and does so fairly successfully, I think.

While the story is engaging, the writing held me back from enjoying this as much as I could have. Because most of the plot points, descriptions, and explanations are revealed through dialogue, I felt that this story was shallow. Not enough detail is given and not enough time is spent on the important things. Also, I wasn't able to form a connection with the characters, because all I get from them is dialogue. I was never able to observe them, judge their actions, and relate to their emotions.

Another thing that bothered me was the advanced vocabulary. This is supposed to be a children's book, and while I don't usually complain about giving children a challenge, there are a lot of difficult, advanced words thrown in. I think this was an attempt to provide some vocabulary words for children, but there were far too many and it affected the smoothness of the story.

I do think that the writing gets significantly better at the end. Sally, who felt more like a nine-year-old at the beginning rather than a girl in her late teens, grows up and I start to like her quite a bit more. The story starts coming together and things finally start happening. Unfortunately, the book ends before we can get any more good stuff, and we have to wait for the sequel to get more.

This is a story that children can really dive into and love. While I do think The Choir Boats had the potential to be better, it is still a fun, worthwhile read and I am definitely planning to read the sequel.

The Choir Boats (Longing for Yount)

In this age of ho-hum writing, it is enormously refreshing to find a new voice that is fresh, imaginative, literate, and fun. Keep writing, Daniel Rabuzzi!

The illustrations deserve great praise. What a pair--this writer and illustrator!